1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a novel aid for shielding a wheel center. More particularly, the present invention relates to expandable wheel shields that protect the centers, including the rim, spokes, hubcap and the like of wheels of varying diameters, from the over application of tire dressing and other chemicals.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The shielding and protection of automobile wheels is generally needed because during the detailing process of a car, the entire car is washed, including the rim and hubcaps, before the dressing is applied to the tires. Any dressing that gets on the rim and the hubcaps is not only a waste of product and but also highly inefficient as those wheels must now be cleaned a second time.
Heretofore, several types of shields and wheel protectors have been devised for just such protection and prevention. These prior art wheels covers generally utilize a circular disc with a radial gap, the sides of which are laid over each other and held in place by tabs, snaps, or other locking mechanisms, thereby giving it a conical shape and decreasing the diameter of the disc to fit the diameter of the tire rim. Another method employed by the prior art is generally that of a folding hand fan, having a plurality of circular-arc sectors overlapping each other and fanning about a central point. Adjusting this type of wheel guard is an involved and tedious process requiring the user to manually adjust each arc sector individually.
The following eight patents are relevant to the field of the present invention.
1. U.S. Pat. No. 4,196,692 issued to Marc. Q. Vanstrom on Apr. 8, 1980 for “Adjustable Paint Guard For Windows” (hereafter the “Vanstrom Patent”);
2. U.S. Pat. No. 4,792,191 issued to Frederick M. Farmer on Dec. 20, 1988 for “Automobile Wheel Protector” (hereafter the “Farmer Patent”);
3. U.S. Pat. No. D438,835 issued to Kurt A. Maschino on Mar. 13, 2001 for “Protective Wheel Mask For Spraying Vehicle Tires” (hereafter the “Maschino Design Patent”);
4. U.S. Pat. No. 6,412,878 issued to Henry O. Bell et al. on Jul. 2, 2002 for “Disposable Wheel Shield” (hereafter the “Bell Patent”);
5. U.S. Pat. No. 6,485,106 issued to Brett Lee Hermansen et al. on Nov. 26, 2002 for “Size Adjustable Wheel Rim Masks” (hereafter the “Hermansen Patent”);
6. U.S. Pat. No. 6,905,177 issued to Danny Murillo on Jun. 14, 2005 for “Rim Shield” (hereafter the “Murillo Patent”);
7. U.S. Pat. No. D537,401 issued to Neil Jones on Feb. 27, 2007 for “Wheel Shield” (hereafter the “Jones Design Patent”);
8. U.S. Pat. No. 7,448,694 issued to LaVern Bentley on Nov. 11, 2008 for “Rim and Hubcap Protection” (hereafter the “Bentley Patent”).
The Vanstrom Patent discloses an adjustable, rectangular, paint guard for windows, which contains four, identical, overlapping sections, each section having a generally triangular shape with the base of each triangle at the center of the device, and each apex of each triangle oriented at one of the four corners of the rectangle. The device pushes outwardly on each of the four triangle bases thereby expanding the area of the rectangle to cover a rectangular window so that it can be protected during the time when the seal around the outside is painted.
The Farmer Patent discloses a wheel guard of the adjustable cone type, discussed above, having interlocking slits at predetermined locations to cover the diameters of car rims, and further having five holes located near the radial point as a finger hold for the device. Additionally, the device is scored radially every 45° so that the device may be folded for storage.
The Maschino Patent is a design patent that is of the adjustable cone type, discussed above, including three-arced rows having a plurality of slits into one of three corresponding tabs interlocks, thereby adjusting the diameter of the device to fit the interior diameter of the wheel of a car, and also having several holes located near the radial center to provide the user with a finger hold for the device.
The Bell Patent discloses a wheel shield to cover the wheel rim, having a small tab as a handhold and having a plurality of concentric circles perforated close to the outside edge of the device. The Bell device is adjusted by reducing the circumference of the device by removing any of the perforated concentric circles that are larger than the tire rim that is to be protected.
The Hermansen Patent discloses a wheel guard of the adjustable cone type, discussed above, having a plurality of spaced apart snap bottoms and one mating snap top to adjust the diameter of the device, and holes near the conic apex to be used as a finger hold.
The Murillo Patent discloses a wheel guard of the hand fan type, having a plurality of arc sectors appending from a shaft, will all shafts pivoting from a single central point. Adjustment of Murillo device is tedious and time consuming in that it requires the user to manually adjust each shaft individually to create the desired diameter of coverage.
The Jones Patent is a design patent that appears to disclose a wheel shield of one piece that mimics the look and shape of an actual tire, and, because of the curvature of the device and the tabs extending backwardly, the device can sit over the entire wheel, thereby shielding not just the inner rim, but also the tire.
The Bentley Patent discloses a wheel shield of the hand fan type, having a plurality of circular arc sectors that pivot about a central point. A tab on the central point serves as the hand hold. Although it can fold up like a fan, the Bentley device does not teach the possibility of altering the diameter of its device.
Most of the prior art are disc shaped devices that deform into a conical section or are devices that are akin to folding hand fans. The prior art does not provide for a wheel shield that quickly and easily adjusts from one wheel rim diameter to another. The prior art does not provide for a wheel shield that adjusts its diameter of coverage without fussing with tabs, slits, snaps, or manual manipulation of each individual segment. The prior art does not provide for a wheel shield that is made of a plurality of segments that are not arc sectors and yet completely cover the interior diameters of automobile tires. The prior art does not provide for a wheel shield that is made of a plurality of segments capable of the effortless increase or decrease in its diameter of coverage.